| MINNEAPOLIS Two Minnesota Legislature agriculture committee chairmen
promise farmers they will renew efforts to require that diesel fuel
contain a percentage of grain oil and to expand the states ethanol
production capacity.
However, they also say getting the 2002 Legislature to fund more farm
programs will be difficult, given the state of the economy and requests
for more security measures.
Chairman Bob Ness, R-Dassel, of the House Agriculture Finance
Committee, said his priority will be passing a biodiesel bill.
A bill failed last year that would have required blending a small
amount of grain oil, probably from soybeans, with diesel fuel sold in
Minnesota.
The failure angered Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, who chairs the
Senate Agriculture Committee.
If we dont pass biodiesel next year, then there will be hell to
pay, Murphy said Tuesday after speaking at a Minneapolis farm show.
We are going to come hard on biodiesel and ethanol production,
Murphy promised in an interview.
We were stupid last session not to move ahead.
Besides the biodiesel failure, Murphy was upset that the Legislature
did not pass a bill to open one or two new ethanol plants.
The corn-based fuel already is produced around Minnesota, but Murphy
wanted to divert some money going to existing plants to open more.
Legislators serving districts with existing plants opposed the
legislation, fearing it would hurt their facilities. However, Murphy said
more plants are needed to help move the country away from dependence upon
foreign oil.
Theyre making money hand over fist, Murphy said of ethanol
plants.
Murphy said his plan would not cost the state more money, and existing
plants would get all the money they were promised, just not as soon.
If I have got to drag people into this century, Im going to,
Murphy said.
Murphy and Ness had trouble getting legislative leaders and Gov. Jesse
Ventura to part with money for agriculture during the last session, and
they see even more problems coming up.
New funding is going to be tough, Ness said.
When we go to the governor or go to (legislative) leadership, we are
unable to squeeze out more dollars, Ness said.
The House ag chairman said he wants lawmakers to approve state research
and development spending on ways to get more products out of a kernel of
corn.
He wants the state to lead the way in separating the parts of corn out
before corn reaches ethanol plants.
Besides producing ethanol fuel, many plants produce feed, fertilizer
and other products from corn. |